Instruction in Latin
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[edit] Philosophical aims
Although Latin was once the universal academic language in Europe, academics no longer use it for writing papers or daily discourse. The Roman Catholic Church also modernized its religious liturgies (such as the Tridentine Mass) from Latin into local vernacular languages as part of the Vatican II reforms in the 1960s. Nonetheless, the study of Latin has remained an academic staple into the 21st century.
Most of the Latin courses currently offered in secondary schools and universities are geared toward translating historical texts into modern languages, rather than using Latin for direct oral communication. As such, they primarily treat Latin as a written dead language, although some works of modern literature such as Paddington Bear, Winnie the Pooh, Tintin, Asterix, Harry Potter, Le Petit Prince, Max und Moritz, and The Cat in the Hat have been translated into Latin in order to promote interest in the language.
[edit] "Living Latin"
Conversely, proponents of the Living Latin movement believe that Latin can be taught in the same way that modern "living" languages are taught, i.e. by incorporating oral fluency and listening comprehension as well as textual skills. This approach offers speculative and stylistic insight into how ancient authors spoke and incorporated sounds of the language, as patterns in Latin poetry and literature can be difficult to identify without an understanding of the sounds of words.
Institutions that offer Living Latin instruction include the Vatican and the University of Kentucky. In Great Britain, the Classical Association encourages this approach, and Latin language books describing the adventures of a mouse called Minimus have been published. The Latinum podcast, teaching conversational Classical Latin, is also broadcast from London. In the United States, the National Junior Classical League (with more than 50,000 members) encourages high school students to pursue the study of Latin, and the National Senior Classical League encourages college students to continue their studies of the language. A complete textbook for spoken conversational Classical Latin, G.J. Adler's "A Practical Grammar of the Latin Language for Speaking and Writing Latin" can be found on Google Books: http://www.google.co.uk/books?id=GJgAAAAAYAAJ This textbook can be heard read out aloud here: http://latinum.mypodcast.com
[edit] Influence on artificial languages
Many international auxiliary languages have been heavily influenced by Latin; the successful language Interlingua considers itself a modernized and simplified version of the language. Latino sine Flexione is a language created from Latin with its inflections dropped, that laid claim to a sizable following in the early 20th century.
[edit] Order of cases
In modern Latin instruction, there is no single international standard for the sequence of cases within each declension paradigm.
[edit] NOM-VOC-ACC-GEN-DAT-ABL-LOC
NOM-VOC-ACC-GEN-DAT-ABL-LOC has been the usual order in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries since the publication of Hall Kennedy's Latin Primer (1866). It is also usual in France, Spain, and Portugal, whose native languages have all largely lost their own case systems. This order reflects the syncretic trends of different cases to share similar endings.
[edit] NOM-GEN-DAT-ACC-ABL-VOC-LOC
The alternate sequence NOM-GEN-DAT-ACC-ABL-VOC-LOC arose from Byzantine grammarians who were originally writing about Greek. It is standard in the United States, although modern texts increasingly move the VOC at the end to minimize disruption to the 4½ declensions in which it is identical to NOM; some introductory texts such as Wheelock's Latin almost entirely ignore VOC and LOC except for a few brief notes.
NOM-GEN-DAT-ACC-ABL-VOC-LOC is also used in Poland, as it closely corresponds to the conventional case order in the Polish language, except for the latter's use of an instrumental case instead of an ablative. The same sequence is predominant in the Netherlands, although the modern Dutch language has largely lost its case system; instead, the rationale is that this general order is convenient for the consistent teaching of three different commonly-studied declensive langages: Latin, Ancient Greek, and modern German.
The order NOM-GEN-DAT-ACC-ABL-VOC is also used in Germany itself to echo the conventional order of German noun cases (NOM-GEN-DAT-ACC), and also in Italy despite the disappearance of cases from Italian grammar.
[edit] Others
Brazilian grammarian Napoleão Mendes uses the unusual sequence NOM-VOC-GEN-DAT-ABL-ACC. In Finland, where the Finnish case system is alive and flourishing, most Latin textbooks use the order NOM-ACC-GEN-DAT-ABL, limiting the study of VOC to second declension and separating LOC into its own chapter.
The Latinum podcast uses NOM -VOC - ACC- ABL- DAT- GEN , as this facilitates memorisation. Latinum deals with LOC separately.
[edit] Curriculum requirements in Australia
Latin is not offered by the mainstream curriculum; however it is offered in many high schools as an elective. Many schools, particularly private schools, offer many languages in year 7 to expose the student to languages as possible electives; Latin is often among these introductory languages. Alternatively, many universities or colleges offer the subject for students should they desire to study it.
[edit] Curriculum requirements in Europe
[edit] Belgium
[edit] Dutch-speaking regions
Latin is taught, but is optional. Usually a student can choose Latin as one of the two majors. Other majors may be: Greek, Maths, Science, Modern languages.
[edit] Francophone regions
Latin is taught in secondary schools but is however optional.
[edit] German-speaking regions
TBA
[edit] Britain
In the first half of the 20th century, Latin was taught in approximately 25% of schools.[1] However, from the 1960s universities gradually began to abandon Latin as an entry requirement for Medicine and Law degrees. After the introduction of the Modern Language General Certificate of Secondary Education in the 1980s, Latin began to be replaced by other languages in many schools. Latin is still taught in a small number, particularly public schools. Only one British exam board now offers Latin (OCR), since 2006 when it was dropped by the exam board AQA. The Latinum Podcast, a successful Latin language outreach programme, is based in London. The podcast is based around a textbook for spoken Classical Latin, G.J. Adler's "A Practical Grammar of the Latin Language for Speaking and Writing Latin" can be found on Google Books: http://www.google.co.uk/books?id=GJgAAAAAYAAJ This textbook can be heard read out aloud here: http://latinum.mypodcast.com
[edit] France
Latin is optionally studied in French secondary schools.
[edit] Germany
Some 15% of the student population learn Latin, and a Latin certificate (called Latinum) is a requirement for various university courses.
[edit] Greece
Latin is compulsory for students who wish to study humanities, and is one of the six subjects tested in Greek examinations for entry into university-level humanities courses. In high school, the subject is taught on a theoretical basis, rather than for practical application.
[edit] Ireland
Latin is not widely taught but can be taken as an optional subject in some secondary schools.
[edit] Italy
In Italy, Latin is still compulsory in secondary schools such as the Liceo classico and Liceo scientifico, which are usually attended by people who aim to the highest level of education. In Liceo classico, ancient Greek is also a compulsory subject. About one third of Italian certificated (18-year-olds) have taken Latin for five years.
[edit] Poland
Latin is a non-compulsory third foreign language that students of some high schools can choose to learn.
[edit] Spain
Latin is a compulsory subject for all those who study humanities (students can select from three sorts of study: sciences, humanities or a mixture) in grades 11 and 12.
[edit] Other countries
In Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Austria, Switzerland, Republic of Macedonia, the Netherlands, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Romania, Latin is studied at high schools called Gymnasia. In Portugal, Latin is also studied. In Finland, Latin is studied at a small minority of high schools.
[edit] Curriculum requirements in North America
[edit] Canada
Latin is optionally studied in Canadian secondary schools.
[edit] United States
In the United States, Latin is occasionally taught in high schools and middle schools. There is, however, a growing classical education movement consisting of private schools and home schools that are teaching Latin at the elementary, or grammar school level. Latin is often taught and is sometimes a mandatory requirement at Catholic secondary schools. More than 149,000 Latin students took the 2007 National Latin Exam. In 2006, 3,333 students took the AP Latin Literature exam.
[edit] Curriculum requirements in South America
[edit] Venezuela
In Venezuela Latin is taught as a compulsory subject in the branch of humanities of the bachillerato for two years. Bachillerato is a segment of secondary education similar to American high schools and is divided into two branches: sciences and humanities. Students learn Latin grammar in their first year of study, then construct and translate Latin texts in the second year.[2]
At university level, the University of the Andes offers a degree program for Letras Mención Lengua y Literaturas Clásicas (Classical Languages and Literatures). In this program (the only one of its type in Venezuela), the students learn Latin, Ancient Greek and the literature of both languages for five years. [3] In other Venezuelan universities, Latin is a compulsory subject of the program for Letras (Hispanic Literature) and Educación, mención: Castellano y Literatura (Education of Spanish language and Hispanic Literature).
Latin is also taught in Roman Catholic seminaries.
[edit] Sources
- ^ That'll Teach 'Em 2: Then and Now.
- ^ Duque Arellano, José Gonzalo Pertinencia y vigencia del latín en la enseñanza de la lengua española, en las áreas de la morfología y de la sintaxis; Universidad de los Andes (Spanish)
- ^ Detalle de la Carrera: "Letras Mención Lengua y Literaturas Clasicas"; CNU-OPSU: Oportunidades de Estudio de Educación Superior en Venezuela (Spanish)
